Key Highlights
- UNESCO and India's MeitY convened a two‑day workshop in Bengaluru to shape an India‑centric AI readiness framework.
- The United States announced a 90‑day suspension of foreign aid to WHO and withdrew again from the Paris Climate Accord on 20 January 2025.
- Nepal’s Yala Glacier is projected to disappear by the 2040s, underscoring accelerating climate change.
- Nigeria attained BRICS partner status, expanding South‑South economic collaboration.
- India’s Defence Research and Development Laboratory successfully completed a 120‑second ground test of an active‑cooled scramjet engine.
Detailed Insights
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in partnership with UNESCO, hosted a high‑level consultation on 16‑17 January 2025 in Bengaluru. Experts from academia, industry, and civil society examined the “AI Readiness Assessment Matrix” (AI‑RAM) and drafted recommendations for a bespoke national AI policy that balances innovation with ethical safeguards.
In Washington, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that both halted United States contributions to the World Health Organization for a three‑month period and formally withdrew the nation from the Paris Climate Agreement, reversing a brief re‑entry earlier in the year.
Glaciological surveys in the Himalayas revealed that the Yala Glacier in Nepal is receding at an unprecedented rate; model projections indicate complete melt‑out by the mid‑2040s, posing downstream flood risks for millions.
On 17 January 2025, Nigeria was welcomed as a partner nation to the BRICS coalition, a move intended to deepen trade, investment, and technology transfer among emerging economies.
Defence researchers at DRDL achieved a milestone by conducting the first sustained 120‑second ground run of an active‑cooled scramjet, a propulsion technology pivotal for hypersonic flight.
Additional notable events include the election of Dhananjay Shukla as ICSI President, the launch of a ₹10,000 annual assistance scheme for 7.5 lakh land‑less agricultural laborers in Chhattisgarh, and India's slip to third place in the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer despite an unchanged score.